A recent investigation has uncovered allegations that the Democratic Republic of Congo has been facilitating the covert export of uranium to China for more than two decades. While the central African nation is primarily recognized for its vast cobalt reserves—supplying roughly 95% of the global market to China—new findings suggest that significant quantities of uranium have been shipped alongside these cobalt exports as a secondary product. This activity appears to bypass the country’s existing prohibition on the commercial export of radioactive materials.

According to Semafor, evidence for these claims stems from a report by the Netherlands-based nonprofit Lighthouse Reports. The investigation utilizes leaked documents from the International Atomic Energy Agency, alongside internal records from TFM, a firm formerly owned by American interests but now controlled by the Chinese cobalt giant CMOC. Although the historic Shinkolobwe mine, which once supplied the United States with uranium for nuclear weapons development during World War II, was officially shuttered in 2004, the report indicates that unauthorized mining and extraction activities have continued unabated in the region.

Data analyzed by Lighthouse Reports suggests that between 2,000 and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were moved from Congolese soil to China between 2000 and 2024. The reliance on Chinese supply chains for cobalt has seemingly provided a convenient mechanism for these unreported shipments. These findings raise significant questions regarding international monitoring of nuclear material and the oversight of resource extraction in the DR Congo, particularly as geopolitical tensions surrounding critical minerals continue to escalate between major global powers.